I grew up in New Hampshire, a long way from most of my Dad's relatives.
When we traveled to Utah and Idaho, we stopped in to see ALL of my Dad's relatives. And some of my Mom's.
We didn't really do things together or attend events.
We visited.
A visit is where the adults talk for hours about people and events and ideas the kids don't know and the kids either find some toys or other kids or (more usually) are bored out of their minds. And hungry.
But I realized recently that visiting is my favorite thing to do.
I love to visit!
Thanksgiving this year was particularly good for visiting because I got to see two sets of aunt and uncles and four cousins. On Saturday, I think we visited for six hours straight! It was fantastic!
And my aunts had lots of toys, so the boys weren't bored. And there was lots of good food, so no one was hungry.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Victor's Curse
About two weeks ago, I told Victor that if he didn't do X, he would not receive Y privilege.
Pretty standard stuff.
But he got upset and yelled: I will take away all of your privileges! Even talking! AND YOUR WORK!! YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO ANY OF YOUR WORK!!! NO WORK!!! No talking and NO WORK!!!!!
It's adorable that the things he thinks I most value in the world are talking and housework.
Pretty standard stuff.
But he got upset and yelled: I will take away all of your privileges! Even talking! AND YOUR WORK!! YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO ANY OF YOUR WORK!!! NO WORK!!! No talking and NO WORK!!!!!
It's adorable that the things he thinks I most value in the world are talking and housework.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Story Duel
Tonight, the boys wanted to hear stories from both of us.
Because Victor is so into his new bedspread, I told them about all the bedspreads I've ever had.
Jeremy told them about the time his dad and grandpa went deer hunting, got a deer, skinned it, hung it in a bag, drove it back to California packed in dry ice in the back of the truck where Jeremy was also sitting, ate the venison, and kept the head in the freezer where it scared young Jeremy.
Because Victor is so into his new bedspread, I told them about all the bedspreads I've ever had.
Jeremy told them about the time his dad and grandpa went deer hunting, got a deer, skinned it, hung it in a bag, drove it back to California packed in dry ice in the back of the truck where Jeremy was also sitting, ate the venison, and kept the head in the freezer where it scared young Jeremy.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Stories
When I was a little girl, I remember asking my Dad every night to "Tell us a story about when you were a little boy."
Dad told us stories about Montpelier and Kevin Beesicker and getting in trouble and cutting his own willow for spankings and driving a black truck in the dark before he had his license and playing football and getting a D from his dad and all sorts of other things.
I remember how exciting his life seemed.
So the other night, when the boys wanted a story, I said, "I'll tell you about when I was a little girl." And I told them about the wood stove that heated our house in Merrimack.
The next night, they asked, "Can you tell us about when you were a little girl?"
We've been doing it for about a week.
These are not remarkable stories, but they love them and listen carefully.
A wood stove. Thinking the wrong man was my dad in our backyard. Going to church in a high school. My friend, Katie Hackett. Blizzards and snow forts. (I do understand why they like that one.) My Dad's Chevy Nova.
Great stuff.
Dad told us stories about Montpelier and Kevin Beesicker and getting in trouble and cutting his own willow for spankings and driving a black truck in the dark before he had his license and playing football and getting a D from his dad and all sorts of other things.
I remember how exciting his life seemed.
So the other night, when the boys wanted a story, I said, "I'll tell you about when I was a little girl." And I told them about the wood stove that heated our house in Merrimack.
The next night, they asked, "Can you tell us about when you were a little girl?"
We've been doing it for about a week.
These are not remarkable stories, but they love them and listen carefully.
A wood stove. Thinking the wrong man was my dad in our backyard. Going to church in a high school. My friend, Katie Hackett. Blizzards and snow forts. (I do understand why they like that one.) My Dad's Chevy Nova.
Great stuff.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Product Reviews
I have started using two new products lately.
1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.
I had been having eyeshadow and mascara issues until a clerk at Ulta put me on to this lovely stuff. It's much better than other primers I have used. I use both the regular, which is a matte, flesh-colored cream, and the Original Sin, which is shimmery and works on its own as an eyeshadow. Great stuff. It even keeps my mascara on.
Caveat: silly packaging causes eye rolling. "Original Sin?" Really? It's eyeshadow.
2. The Shark Steam Pocket Mop.
I have wanted one for a while, but the price tag was daunting. Enter the Woot Deal of the Day about three weeks ago and voila! I have a steam mop for a very reasonable price.
Like any mop, you have to sweep thoroughly first or you end up pushing a dirt line around the kitchen. And you have to do your baseboards by hand. However, if you do sweep thoroughly (especially into the corners), this is am amazing mop.
Things I like about the Shark:
a. It really gets dirt off the floor.
b. You just add water. I like Mr. Clean and Lysol, but water is less expensive.
c. There's no setup. Usually you have to scrub your sink or bucket, fill it with water and cleanser, empty and refill it when water is dirty or cold, etc. With this, you just fill the mop with water, put on the cloth pad, and plug it in.
d. The cloth pad rotates so you can use both sides.
e. Since I'm not up and down scrubbing on hands and knees, but upright, the work goes MUCH faster.
f. It dries faster and leaves no residue. (Swiffer's solution leaves awful residue. And smells bad. But nobody asked that. And I just put a washcloth dipped in diluted Lysol or Mr. Clean on my Swiffer head anyway because of the residue and smell and to add scrubbing power.)
g. You can wash and reuse the cloth pad.
1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.
I had been having eyeshadow and mascara issues until a clerk at Ulta put me on to this lovely stuff. It's much better than other primers I have used. I use both the regular, which is a matte, flesh-colored cream, and the Original Sin, which is shimmery and works on its own as an eyeshadow. Great stuff. It even keeps my mascara on.
Caveat: silly packaging causes eye rolling. "Original Sin?" Really? It's eyeshadow.
2. The Shark Steam Pocket Mop.
I have wanted one for a while, but the price tag was daunting. Enter the Woot Deal of the Day about three weeks ago and voila! I have a steam mop for a very reasonable price.
Like any mop, you have to sweep thoroughly first or you end up pushing a dirt line around the kitchen. And you have to do your baseboards by hand. However, if you do sweep thoroughly (especially into the corners), this is am amazing mop.
Things I like about the Shark:
a. It really gets dirt off the floor.
b. You just add water. I like Mr. Clean and Lysol, but water is less expensive.
c. There's no setup. Usually you have to scrub your sink or bucket, fill it with water and cleanser, empty and refill it when water is dirty or cold, etc. With this, you just fill the mop with water, put on the cloth pad, and plug it in.
d. The cloth pad rotates so you can use both sides.
e. Since I'm not up and down scrubbing on hands and knees, but upright, the work goes MUCH faster.
f. It dries faster and leaves no residue. (Swiffer's solution leaves awful residue. And smells bad. But nobody asked that. And I just put a washcloth dipped in diluted Lysol or Mr. Clean on my Swiffer head anyway because of the residue and smell and to add scrubbing power.)
g. You can wash and reuse the cloth pad.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween
Halloween was last night. I put up my four decorations and spent $27 (gag) on candy and costumes.
Victor was a cowboy (bandana: $2; rope: $5; multipurpose plaid shirt: $10).
Zeke was a Transformer (cardboard box covered in tin foil and Jeremy's old Decepticon hat: free).
The most entertaining part of the night was when Jeremy called me at home about 15 minutes after they had left to trick or treat.
Jeremy: Hi, Honey. Do you happen to have a full length picture of Zeke in his costume?
Me: No. I didn't get one before he ran off.
Jeremy: Oh. So . . . you don't know if he had shoes on when he left?
Me, looking around: Well, I see his shoes here. . . Is he out there with no shoes?!?!
Jeremy: Ah, yes. We'll just . . . Does he really need them? He seems okay.
It's funny because I'm very particular about my boys wearing their shoes when they are outside. And it was really cold last night.
I met them at the end of the street with Zeke's shoes. He seemed grateful.
Victor was a cowboy (bandana: $2; rope: $5; multipurpose plaid shirt: $10).
Zeke was a Transformer (cardboard box covered in tin foil and Jeremy's old Decepticon hat: free).
The most entertaining part of the night was when Jeremy called me at home about 15 minutes after they had left to trick or treat.
Jeremy: Hi, Honey. Do you happen to have a full length picture of Zeke in his costume?
Me: No. I didn't get one before he ran off.
Jeremy: Oh. So . . . you don't know if he had shoes on when he left?
Me, looking around: Well, I see his shoes here. . . Is he out there with no shoes?!?!
Jeremy: Ah, yes. We'll just . . . Does he really need them? He seems okay.
It's funny because I'm very particular about my boys wearing their shoes when they are outside. And it was really cold last night.
I met them at the end of the street with Zeke's shoes. He seemed grateful.
Fun Mom Volunteers!
Part of being fun is volunteering at your child's school. You also have to pretend that you think the planned activities are fun.
Yesterday, I volunteered at Victor's Fall Fest. I was stationed at the apple stamping station and got to use red and purple paint. (The purple was dug out of a closet when we ran out of red.)
I can't say that I was wowed by anyone's surprisingly creative or artistic apple stamping. Or that I gained an appreciation for fruit or childhood or anything. It was just apple stamping.
But it was fun!
Yesterday, I volunteered at Victor's Fall Fest. I was stationed at the apple stamping station and got to use red and purple paint. (The purple was dug out of a closet when we ran out of red.)
I can't say that I was wowed by anyone's surprisingly creative or artistic apple stamping. Or that I gained an appreciation for fruit or childhood or anything. It was just apple stamping.
But it was fun!
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